No, I didn’t resort to using kindergarten potty humor as inspiration for this title. That would be every last one of my other articles, except this one. Instead I’m talking about this slammed little LEGO surfin’ rat rod built by Isaac Wilder. He took inspiration from Jack Dick’s Surf Wagon. The stickers, now that’s where the Pooh reference comes from. They were pilfered from the Winnie the Pooh set that came out a few months back. Pretty sweet, right?
After a long wait, the summer 2022 line of Ninjago sets are available world-wide. We’ve taken a close look at several so far, but there’s still a lot of fun left to explore. Up next is Ninjago 71769 – Cole’s Dragon Cruiser. This 384 piece set can be yours for US $44.99 | CAN $59.99 | UK £39.99, and comes with four minifigures in addition to the vehicle. What do you say? Ready to take a ride?
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
If my Instagram stream is any indicator, anyone with a plunging neckline or pimples to pop can be an internet influencer. But it takes a special kind of genius to be as influential as LEGO builder Eero Okkonen. With his amazing characters, he has most certainly influenced dozens of other builders, all without resorting to even a hint of cleavage. Here we see Hemogoblin, who hauls oxygen along the Aorta Highway on his badass dirtbike. Oh, and it turns out he lives inside each of us and is actually helpful. So, yeah. To see this genius at work, check out our Eero Okkonen archives; the guy is super-prolific and you won’t be disappointed. As for me, I haven’t built anything in a while and have to resort to cheap, lurid gimmicks to hold any shred of influence I may still have. Time for me to put on a skimpy top, pop some zits and watch the profits roll in!
You can travel in sugary style when sojourning in Candy Land. Just take a look at this LEGO cake rover by Prrbrix if you don’t believe me. It’s a slice of chocolate cake with sweet frosting detailing. You can take in the sights, sounds, and scents of Candy Land with this open canopy automobile. Just try not to eat it as you go, or you might not make it to your destination! Visit the fields of sweets during harvest season, or take in the music of the sweet puff plains. The candy crumb road will be your guide on your journey, all while you sit back behind the wheel of the rover. The design of the rover makes great use of those versatile ingot pieces by way of chocolate bar paneling. I imagine the chocolate bar lends itself better structure to the vehicle’s exterior than just cake. Safety is still important, even when things are made of candy.
Escalators, I think we can all agree, normally go up and down in straight lines. Thomas Jenkins clearly prefers his escalator rides with a bit more adrenaline, though – he’s made his go round in a circle! This LEGO build was actually created for an article over at New Elementary celebrating said escalator piece. It’s an older article, but it checks out and is fascinating, so I recommend you give it a read. The seed part is the perfect fit for General Grievous’ wheel bike. You wouldn’t know it was for a moving staircase just by looking at this! The vehicle is almost entirely devoid of studs, which in turn lets its greebly nature shine. All it needs now is a Boga to chase…
We return to our in-depth look at the Summer 2022 Ninjago Crystalized theme with Ninjago 71773 Kai’s Golden Dragon Raider. This 624 piece set is available now in the UK, and August 1st worldwide, for US $89.99 | CAN $119.99 | UK £74.99. Featuring seven minifigures and a highly unusual vehicle, this set takes the Ninjago in some exciting directions. Hop in as we take this set for an early test drive!
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
Way back in 1995 LEGO came out with the Model Team 5541 Blue Fury set and hot rodding enthusiasts were revved into high gear. It’s sort of like how normies are thrilled whenever a cool Star Wars or Batman set comes out. LEGO must have heard the roar of our engines because they released it again in 2004 and we once again lost our collective shiznit. Clearly BHBricks knows what I mean. They have crafted the Blue Fury II, a modern homage to the classic set. The front tires are from the new Vespa set. I’m loving the engine and the sick pipes, but then again I would. And you really can’t go wrong with that iconic blue and red.
If you’re loving Blue Fury II as much as I am, then check out what the other sick LEGO hot rodders have done, including a few pretty old offerings from yours truly.
James Bond is known for several things: looking great in a tux, being suave with the ladies, and enjoying his drinks shaken, not stirred. Oh, and also awesome cars. Take a gander at this LEGO 1976 Lotus Esprit built by Paul Nicholson. It’s from The Spy Who Loved Me and clearly Paul is a builder with no shortage of suave moves. It captures the iconic vehicle nicely and the undersea stand is a great touch. Now why is it that we never got any official James Bond LEGO sets? Oh right, we did and most of us were less-than-thrilled. Perhaps now is the time to improve on that? In the meantime check out some other James Bond stuff built by our friends around the globe. I try to be as suave as 007 but when I order my beer shaken, not stirred it’s usually met with a quizzical look and a disapproving shake of the head. Maybe it’s because I’m just too short and paunchy for a tux.
LEGO builder František Hajdekr specializes in the little things. Take this tiny tanker truck on for size. It just shows you don’t need a truckload of LEGO bricks to build something that really packs in the details. What a great color scheme, too! If you squint, it just about looks like a real truck. This might be the best thing I’ve seen all day, and I’ve seen what happens when someone consumes bananas and Sprite. If you’d rather not Google that then I’d suggest checking out some other awesome vehicles built by a truckload of talented builders around the globe.
I don’t know about you, but I have many memories of a bus very similar to this, taking me to and from school. Not all the memories are good, but, despite that, seeing the bus in LEGO form is pretty darn cool. Allen Smith recreates the classic school bus at almost a 1:43 scale, down to the last iconic detail. The 1995, Thomas built Saf-T-Liner MVP school bus serves as the base of Allen’s model. The most recognizable detail, at least for me, is the front of the bus. The particular way the flat face is interrupted by the slight curve of the windshield is crisp. I love the use of wands for the windshield wipers! It gives them just the right angling for the look. Something my school buses never had is that nice crossing arm. They added it for safety to keep kids from running out into the road before the driver gives the all-clear.
I don’t know how he does it, but builder Djokson has managed to breathe life into yet another extinct LEGO Racer with his tribute to 4573 Lightor. We’ve seen prior successes from this builder in the past, but I’m particularly drawn to this one. Maybe it’s that color scheme, all ROY and no GBIV. Maybe it’s the outstanding parts usage, what with these windscreens in orange nested within a dump truck bed for the air intakes on the sides. I mean, those are some awesome side panels! No, I’d say it’s probably the driver. The engineering the make a figure with such character and yet such a skinny cross-section is like catching lightning in a bottle.
Well, it’s not exactly mine but if you ask the vehicle’s creator, Kris Kelvin, he might provide you with the key. This impressive LEGO build of a combine harvester perfectly recreates the details of the real-life farm vehicle. At the front, spikes are used as the forward prongs and red wagon wheels form part of the threshing drum with clip pieces attached to them. Minfigure neck brackets portray the headlights on the roof. The chute, sticking off the side, uses a red bucket to represent the tip of the funnel where the grain would be offloaded onto a trailer. The model appears to be in scale with minifigures and would be an ideal addition to any farm diorama.
